News Releases

January 14, 2009

Gov. Nixon Announces Competitive Bids on First Six License Offices

JEFFERSON CITY – In one of the first actions of his administration, Gov. Jay Nixon today implemented a new plan that overhauls the way local motor vehicle and driver license offices are awarded by bidding out the first six fee offices.

“The era of license office patronage ends today,” Gov. Nixon said. “Six of Missouri’s 183 fee offices have been put up for competitive bid, and all of the others will follow in the weeks and months to come. This action signals a new way in which essential government services will be provided.”

On Tuesday, the state, through the Department of Revenue and the Office of Administration’s Division of Purchasing and Materials Management, posted a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six of the state’s contract offices. The six offices are in Columbia, Liberty, Mexico, Moberly, St. Charles and the South Fremont Avenue location in Springfield. RFPs for other offices will be sent out on a weekly basis until all of the locations have been bid.

Interested individuals or organizations will have five weeks to bid on managing the offices in a competitive process that is outlined in the RFP. The goal will be to obtain the best bid to ensure maximum efficiency, qualified personnel, convenient service for customers, secure and accessible office space, and financial stability of the contractor. The evaluation process includes a straightforward point scale that also includes consideration of whether a civic or not-for-profit group is bidding. The RFP also includes consideration of whether a bidder is a minority, a woman, or a minority/woman-run organization. Once a bid is awarded, the Department of Revenue has the option of renewing the contracts for up to three years after the first year is completed.

Karen King Mitchell, Gov. Nixon’s designated director of the Department of Revenue, said she and other state officials have been working for several weeks on the RFPs.

“It’s crucial that this process results in the best qualified and most efficient bidders operating these offices, so we’ve spent a lot of time preparing these proposals,” she said. “The services provided by the local contract offices are some of the most common, but important to Missouri citizens. When a person needs to renew a driver’s license, get new license plates or pay sales tax on a new car, he or she doesn’t care about the political preferences of the person behind the desk. He or she just wants the transaction to take place as efficiently as possible.”

Although the bidding process began Tuesday, future RFPs could be adjusted to make sure the process produces the best proposals.

“When you are dealing with this many offices and such a fresh, new approach, there is a possibility changes will be made to ensure that the process is fair to the bidders and that the offices’ customers will receive good service,” Mitchell said.

Copies of the RFPs may be obtained at https://www.moolb.mo.gov/. To review an RFP, select “Guest” on the home page, then click on “Open Bids by Agency,” then scroll through the list of bids until you locate the appropriate bid. (Bid numbers are listed below.) Additional information regarding the bidding of fee offices may be obtained at http://oa.mo.gov/purch/vendorinfo/DORoffices.pdf or by calling the Office of Administration at (573) 751-2387.